Outdoor Robot Challenge Rules

V1.1

I. The Purpose:

The purpose of the DPRG Outdoor Robot Challenge is to encourage the development of autonomous,
outdoor robots that can navigate distances in arbitrary environments and survive on their own
without human intervention. The contest is broken into 4 challenges which are meant to be
incremental steps toward that ultimate goal.

II. The Environment:

The contests are held at various locations around the Dallas area. Any venue
that provides large parking lot spaces and accessible public areas can be used.

The first two challenges are conducted on a large, flat, level, obstacle-free asphalt parking
lot with no rebar, no nearby buildings, and an unobstructed view of the sky. See details below.

The third challenge can be conducted on the parking lot as well as unpaved terrain,
and the fourth challenge is held on the mixed terrain, using buildings, gardens,
walls, and architecture as obstacles.

III. The Robots:

The robot must be constructed and operated in such a way as to not damage the environment or
other robots. Robots must be autonomous. Remote control is not allowed, with the exception
of an optional remote control shutoff switch. Each contestant is responsible for any damage
caused by his or her robot. See liability waiver below.

IV. Liability:

Each contestant is fully responsible for any damage to person or property caused directly or
indirectly by his or her robot. The Dallas Personal Robotics Group is not responsible for any
damages caused by any competing robots. Each contestant must sign a waiver of liability prior
to the competition.

V. The Judges:

One or more judges will officiate the contest. Their prime responsibilities will be to determine
that a robot has successfully completed the requirements of a specific challenge, to provide
measurements of the robot's stopping position for scoring, and to adjudicate any questions.
The decisions of the judges are final.

VI. The Challenges:

Out and Back.

Drive from the origin to a point at least 100 feet away and back to the origin and stop. Distance is then measured
from the stopping place to the origin. Shortest distance wins.

Drive from the origin around a square 100 feet on each side, clockwise or counter-clockwise as
instructed by the judge, and stop at the origin. Distance is then measured from the stopping
place to the origin. Shortest distance wins.

Obstacles.

Drive from the origin to a point at least 100 feet away and back to the origin, with obstacles in the way.
Distance from the stopping point to the origin is then measured. Shortest distance wins.

Long Haul

Drive from an origin across the course to a point 500 to 1000 feet away, (to be
determined at contest time) and back to the origin. Distance from stopping place to origin is then
measured. Shortest distance wins.

VII. The Scoring

The robot score for each challenge is simply the distance from the robot's stopping place to
the origin. Lowest score wins.

Each robot begins each challenge at the origin locations listed below, or their equivalent.
It is not required that the robots hit the waypoints precisely, as long as they are "close"
in the judgement of the judges. Only the distance to the final waypoint matters for the score.
There is no time limit,
however the judges may, at their discretion, time each run as a method for ranking robots
that have similar accuracy scores.

No human interaction or tending of the robot is allowed in the first 3 challenges.

Special circumstances of the 4th challenge may require the robot builder to intervene to
prevent the robot from falling into a pond or climbing into a flower garden on the Fair
Grounds. We are guests at the facility. No points will be deducted for such "shepherding"
of the robot. However the judges may, at their discretion, disqualify a robot from
competition for "too much shepherding."

Every robot that completes a challenge will receive a "DPRG Challenger Award" in addition to
however it may rank in its accuracy score.

VIII. The Spring 2008 Contest Course.

A. Challenge #1 and #2

The first two challenges are intended to be run on a large obstacle-free parking lot. Here is a
picture of the location for this Spring's 2008 contest, at Northway Christian Church:

The
Borenstein UMBMark
calibration benchmark, which the second contest is based on, requires
that a robot drive around a square both clockwise and counter-clockwise. For the contest, each
robot will drive only one square at the instruction of the judges.

B. Challenge #3 Locations

Drive exercise #1, out and back, but with obstacles in the way. Good obstacles might be
a small grove of trees between the waypoints, or the corner of a building or a group of
humans in between the waypoints, at the discretion of the judge.

Challenge #4 is an "extreme" version of Exercise #3, but in this case the obstacles are Fair Park itself, its buildings,
fences, stairways, sidewalks, and miscellaneous gardens. An example challenge is pictured here:

The challenge in this example is to navigate autonomously from the meadow next to the Science Place
(waypoint on the left) to the meadow next to WRR (waypoint on the right) and back, with only these
two waypoints: